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Performances for the Curious is back with a new Autumn Season celebrating individuality, promoting diversity and supporting Welsh talent

Performances for the Curious is back for its second season at Wales Millennium Centre this autumn, with a programme of theatre and performance to celebrate individuality, promote diversity and showcase Welsh talent alongside some of the best international performers and boundary-pushing companies.

Audiences can unleash their curiosity by choosing from over 25 performances which span comedy, music, drag, theatre, cabaret, dance, storytelling and burlesque. From family-friendly shows to hard-hitting adult drama, Performances for the Curious runs from 6 October to 31 December across Wales Millennium Centre’s 250-seat Weston Studio theatre and its lively cabaret bar, ffresh.

Following on from the first Performances for the Curious season in spring which was largely led or inspired by female artists, this second season’s programme focuses on diversity, celebrating individuality and championing fair representation of our society on stage.

Season highlights from boundary-pushing companies include Tuck (24 Oct – 3 Nov) – Neontopia’s new bilingual play set in the Cardiff Drag scene, written by Alun Saunders; The Last Five Years (9 – 17 Nov) – a professional premiere in Wales for Leeway Productions’ version of Jason Robert Brown’s international hit musical, staged with integrated sign language and closed captioning for D/deaf audiences; and Bullish (20 – 24 Nov) – a mythical new play from Milk presents, exploring trans-masculine gender and identity, from the makers of smash hit Joan (Stage Award winner).

Closing the season with full glamour and glitz will be global cabaret sensation Le Gateau Chocolat, who presents two unique shows. Icons (18 – 22 Dec) is Le Gateau Chocolat’s latest work, exploring the songs and music of his personal icons, including Kate Bush, Whitney, Meatloaf and Pavarotti. While his second show, Duckie (20 – 31 Dec), is a family-friendly reimaging of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling, with a message of tolerance and self-acceptance at its core.

“We’re buzzing with excitement for this Performances for the Curious season, after the success of our first season in spring which attracted lots of new people to the Centre as well as our loyal visitors. This autumn, we welcome world-renowned performer Le Gateau Chocolat and we host the premiere of a ground-breaking accessible production of The Last Five Years. We’re also proud to support Welsh artists and companies including Neontopia, our Centre residents Hijinx, and Connie Orff – our favourite bilingual Drag Queen! And productions such as Humanequin and Behind the Label show us the importance of how the arts can give a platform and a voice to those who need it most.”

Real Voices

The Performances for the Curious autumn season programme aims to promote diversity and support under-represented groups with having a voice on the stage. In Humanequin (20 – 24 Nov), three transgender actors ask audiences to just listen and hear their truth, in a play that has been created alongside members of TransForm Cymru and students from Radyr Comprehensive School to educate, challenge and provoke conversation about what it means to be trans in 2018.

Wales Millennium Centre, Theatre versus Oppression and The Wallich have been supporting a group of people from South Wales who have experienced misfortune – whether trauma, addiction, homelessness or mental health problems – through applied theatre project, Behind the Label (13 & 14 Dec). Culminating in a fully staged performance created by the group over an 18-week theatre skills programme, Behind the Label shares the real-life stories from society’s invisible people.

And writer, comedian and underclass amputee, Jackie Hagan, performs This is Not a Safe Space (1 Dec), a new solo show about life on disability benefits, featuring the real voices of proper skint disabled people Jackie knows. Winner of the 2018 Saboteur Award for Best Spoken Word Show, This is Not a Safe Space will be British Sign Language Interpreted and is commissioned and supported by Unlimited, celebrating the work of disabled artists.

Accessible Performances

As well as programming a diverse range of voices, there has been a real focus on increasing the offer of accessible performances in this autumn’s Performances for the Curious season. In The Last Five Years (9 – 17 Nov), director Angharad Lee of Leeway Productions has developed the concept of fully integrating sign language into the production with award-winning choreographer, Mark Smith, of Deaf Men Dancing. With British Sign Language organically embedded into the choreography throughout, plus closed captioning and a Touch Tour (13-17 Nov performances), The Last Five Years can be enjoyed by all.

British Sign Language Interpretation will also be offered for This is Not a Safe Space (1 Dec), Hijinx Odyssey’s sparkling new family production, Hansel, Gedeon and The Grimms’ Wood (6 – 8 Dec), which features a large cast of disabled and non-disabled performers, and Connie: Christmas is Orff (15 Dec), a new Christmas show from bilingual drag queen and host of this year’s Pride Cymru main stage, Connie Orff.

Every performance of Bullish (20 – 24 Nov) will be captioned using the Difference Engine app, making the show accessible for D/deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audiences, as well as those who struggle with spoken English. Audiences will be able to access the closed captions by downloading the app on their own hand-held device.

Audio Description will be available on the 7 December performance of Hijinx Odyssey’s Hansel, Gedeon and The Grimms’ Wood as well as the 21 December performance of Le Gateau Chocolat’s Icons.

And Relaxed Performances, designed for audiences with additional needs, including those on the autistic spectrum, will be held for Le Gateau Chocolat’s Icons on 21 December and for family show Duckie on 23 December (11am), 28 December (11am) and 30 December (3pm).

Supporting talent in Wales

As well as some of the brightest UK and international touring companies, the Performances for the Curious autumn season showcases many Wales-based companies and artists, including some who have received support from Wales Millennium Centre’s Artist Development programme. Through rehearsal space, mentoring, a programme of free workshops and hosting scratch nights (26 – 30 Nov) for works in progress, the Centre is continually supporting local artists to reach their potential.

Wales Millennium Centre has been supporting Welsh company Neontopia with the development of their new bilingual play Tuck, which opens the Performances for the Curious autumn season in cabaret space, ffresh on 24 October. Wales Millennium Centre have collaborated with Neontopia since 2015, recognising their ambition as a bilingual theatre company and their creative talent.

Alun Saunders, Neontopia co-founder and Writer of Tuck said:

“Tuck is a play about Drag, about ‘mainstream’ society’s new-found fascination with it, the joy it brings, and how the LGBT+ community - of whom I’m a fully paid-up member - adapts to the idea of being accepted, embraced and/or absorbed. It’s about what each of us - whoever we are - will do to protect ourselves.”

Mared Swain, Neontopia co-founder and Director of Tuck said:

“For many of us, we live on a linguistic spectrum where we speak, use, read, see or hear Cymraeg in our day-to-day lives - it’s a living language, and this bilingual life rightly deserves to be reflected in art. This is where Neontopia steps in - our challenge is to offer an exciting theatrical experience to those who are fluent in Welsh, are actively learning the language and to those with no knowledge of it.”

Alun also performs as bilingual drag artist, Connie Orff, and will be performing in ffresh for a special one-night Christmas show on 15 December.

As well as a host of Welsh talent, audiences in ffresh can enjoy a selection of live jazz, bop and boogaloo with Clifford Brown / Max Roach Revisited (8 Nov), London’s Fraser & The Alibis (22 Nov) and King for a Day: The Nat King Cole Story (7 Dec) featuring jazz vocalist, Atila. House of Broadway (10 Nov) will be serving up musical theatre classics performed by a West End cast. And New York’s Tori Scott flies in with her hilarious Christmas show Vodka is the Reason for the Season (8 Dec), including songs by Dolly Parton, Madonna, Michael Jackson and more.

Wales Millennium Centre welcomes new Head of Food and Beverage, Marc Simcox, who has helped to create a new Cabaret Menu for this autumn’s Performances for the Curious season. The menu features Small Plates, Snacks and Boards, with a large selection of Welsh products and special food and drink offers to give audiences a full evening entertainment experience. Plus 2-for-1 cocktails are available in ffresh every day.

With a programme of live jazz, cabaret, burlesque, comedy and more from 6 October to 15 December, visitors can feed their mind, belly and soul in ffresh this festive season.

Clifford Brown / Max Roach Revisted
8 November
ffresh
16+ £15 8pm doors, 9pm start
Clifford Brown and Max Roach formed a world-changing quintet in 1954, described by The New York Times as “perhaps the definitive bop group until Mr. Brown’s fatal automobile accident in 1956”. Now, some of Cardiff’s finest musicians come together to reimagine their work and bring the original sounds into the 21st century.

Nelson Mandela: Songs & Stories
9 November
ffresh
16+ £15 8pm doors, 9pm start
Joined by local musicians and writers of spoken word, Keith Murrell presents a night of songs and stories inspired by the life of Nelson Mandela. This event has been programmed alongside the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition, a major free exhibition at Wales Millennium Centre from 5 October to 18 November.

The Last Five Years
9 – 17 November
Weston Studio
12+ £12 8pm start
Communication breakdown is at the heart of the Welsh premiere of Jason Robert Brown’s international hit musical which follows a passionate five-year relationship of a New York couple. This new accessible production staged with integrated sign language is by Leeway Productions, supported by Wales Millennium Centre, in partnership with Blackwood Miners Institute.

Every performance of The Last Five Years is accessible to D/deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audience members, with closed captioning and integrated sign language to be enjoyed by all.
House of Broadway
10 November
ffresh
16+ £15 8pm doors, 9pm start
House of Broadway are back with a night of musical theatre performed by a stellar West End cast. From moments of musical comedy to echo the likes of Fascinating Aida, through to the hits that keep pulling audiences back to Broadway, its cabaret at its best.
Leroy Brito: 3 Dads
16 - 17 November
ffresh
16+ £15 8pm doors, 9pm start
Following Butetown’s Finest, his sold out 2017 performance, Leroy returns with his brand new show. 3 Dads is a personal look at his experience of fatherhood, as he recalls his experience of the three different men – ages 18, 24, 34 – that he was when his children were born. This is a heartfelt tale, looking at the universal challenges and differences of being a dad through the eyes of 3 different versions of himself.

Bullish
20 - 24 November
Weston Studio
12+ £12 – First Night- Pay What You Decide
Various start times
From the makers of smash hit Joan (Off West End, Fringe First and Stage Award winner) Milk Presents brings you Bullish, a mythical new play with songs. Negotiating ancient and new territories in trans-masculine gender and identity, follow Asterion, better known as the blood thirsty Minotaur of Ancient Crete, through this cabaret odyssey. Bullish is a story about packing, passing, and gambling your way out of the labyrinth.

Humanequin
20 – 24 November 2018
Weston Studio
12+ £12
Various start times
Humanequin is a play about gender, identity and finding your family in the unlikeliest of places. With director Jain Boon and writer Kelly Jones, the actors worked alongside members of TransForm Cymru and students from Radyr Comprehensive School to devise Humanequin. They shared their common and individual stories and experiences to create a performance which educates, challenges and provokes conversation about what it means to be trans in 2018.

Fraser and the Alibis
22 November
ffresh
16+ £15 8pm doors, 9pm start
This London based four-piece play the hippest in Bop, Blues and Boogaloo – channeling the intensity and feel-good effect of the dance hall era, combined with the intricacies of later jazz movements.

Hello Cabaret
23 November
ffresh
16+ £15 8pm doors, 9pm start
Hello Cabaret is back with another exciting evening of stars, showstoppers and stories from the world of musical theatre.

Rachel Williams Live!
24 November
ffresh
16+ £15 8pm doors, 9pm start
The Welsh showgirl returns with her dazzling solo show. A dancer’s life lived in the spotlight, told through spectacular song and dance, comedic anecdotes and an eclectic mix of musical numbers.

Tiger Bay Presents
29 - 30 November
ffresh
16+ £15 8pm doors, 9pm start
Over two nights, ffresh will be blessed with the sounds of Reggae, Soul and African inspired music by both established and up-and-coming artists. Curated by Gavin Porter, these very special guests will take the audience on a musical journey of collaboration, defying boundaries and crossing genres.

This is Not a Safe Space
1 December
Weston Studio
14+ £12 8pm start
From award-winning writer and comedian Jackie Hagan comes a new show about life on disability benefits. Expect lots of laughter, maybe some tears, and one working class amputee steering the show. Winner of the 2018 Saboteur Award for Best Spoken Word Show. There will be a post-show discussion following the performance. Commissioned by Unlimited. Supported with funding from BlueSCI Wellbeing, Contact and Full Circle Arts. Produced by Jackie Hagan & Big Feast.

Cappuccino Girls
6 December
ffresh
16+ £15 8pm doors, 9pm start
Demi, Connie and Hillary meet every day to share their secrets, hopes and dreams over a cappuccino. But when Eddie the new barista walks into their cafe, you know their lives will never, ever, be the same again…Starring BBC Radio Wales’ Mal Pope.

Hansel, Gedeon and the Grimms' Wood
6 – 8 December
Weston Studio
6+ £9 (Under 16s £6) Various start times
This Christmas, join Odyssey – Hijinx’s community theatre group – as they follow Hansel and Gedeon on their adventure into the woods. Hansel, Gedeon and the Grimms’ Wood is a sparkling new production for the whole family, written by Llinos Mai, and features a large cast of disabled and non-disabled performers from Odyssey and Woodlands High School.
King for a Day: The Nat King Cole story, featuring Atila
7 December
ffresh
16+ £15 8pm doors, 9pm start
Featuring Atila King for a Day is the brand new concert from acclaimed jazz vocalist, Atila, celebrating one of the defining voices of the 20th century: Nat King Cole.

Tori Scott: Vodka Is The Reason For The Season
8 December
ffresh
16+ £15 8pm doors, 9pm start
New York’s Tori Scott brings her hilarious Christmas show, Vodka is the Reason for the Season to Cardiff. This hysterical and heartwarming show includes songs by Dolly Parton, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and many more.

Cabarela Nadolig
13 December 2018
ffresh
16+ £15 8pm doors, 9pm start
Cabarela is back for Christmas. The ideal event for a Christmas party, or just one more excuse to drink cocktails every day in December!

Behind the Label
13 – 14 December
Weston Studio
16+ £12 8pm start
Imagine being looked at but not seen; heard but ignored. This gritty applied theatre production shares the real-life stories from society’s invisible people. Created over an 18-week skills programme by people who have experienced misfortune – whether trauma, addiction, homelessness or mental health problems – and been labelled by society. They’re ready to strip back the labels and share their personal journeys full of twists and turns, dead ends and new directions. A Theatre Versus Oppression project in partnership with Wales Millennium Centre and The Wallich.

Connie: Christmas is Orff
15 December 2018
ffresh
16+ £15 8pm doors, 9pm start
Performed in English and in Welsh
Take the stress out of the stress-tive season by visiting Connie Orff’s grotto to enjoy her mulled reflections on Christmas.

Le Gateau Chocolat ‘Icons’
18 – 22 December
Weston Studio
Preview: 18 December- Pay what you decide
14+ (No under 2s) £12 8pm start
Opera and lycra loving cabaret sensation Le Gateau Chocolat storms into Cardiff with his latest work, Icons. Walking the tightrope between his public and private personas, Le Gateau Chocolat explores the people, the moments, the relationships, the art that have come to shape us and the ideals we aspire to. Accompanied by a live band, Gateau unashamedly weaves through an eclectic mix of music: pop, opera, rock; Kate Bush, Whitney, Meatloaf, Pavarotti... investigating his own objects of worship through the songs and music of his personal icons.

Le Gateau Chocolat ‘Duckie’
20 – 31 December
Weston Studio
3+ £10 Various start times
Duckie is a reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling with a message of tolerance and self-acceptance at its core. Family friendly glamour and glitz takes centre stage as critically
acclaimed cabaret star Le Gateau Chocolat breaks out of his shell in his first work for children, a classic tale of identity and belonging. Supported by Arts Council England. Seed Commissioners New Wolsey Theatre, Colchester Arts Centre & Norwich Arts Centre.